There are two rock bridges, which we got to scramble (climb up without the assistance of ropes or gear). At the top of the first, and smaller, rock bridge I overheard a man say, “oh, there are some Tar Heels”. I smiled and asked him if he was a fan. It turned out that he, Brandon Short, had lived in Charlotte and played for a little team we like to call the Carolina Panthers. He and his new bride were on their honeymoon. I just find it so funny that we run into someone who had lived in North Carolina on top of a rock in south Jordan!
We took the obligatory pictures, and scampered down toward another larger rock bridge. I’m not afraid of heights, but I thought I might die climbing up or down this rock. Ok, dying is a bit exaggerated; I could have easily broken another arm. The entire time we were joking about how this would never happen in the US without pages of insurance information and waivers. After surviving the trip down the rock we ventured to see the sunset.
Speeding through the empty desert was surreal. With wide open spaces it was difficult to grasp how quickly we were moving. Literally racing the sun our guide got us to a beautiful sand dune to watch the sun set. As you can see on the picasa page I diligently tried to capture the awe of being there. The sand was like paprika, so soft and a lovely burnt red color.
“When the stars align and the east meets the west, when the new moon arises and we’re put to the test, when we come to the crossroads and you know we’ll find a way, a new day will begin, we could trip away through the atmosphere, gonna close our eyes and disappear, lose ourselves like a rocket man, take a trip to Neverland, this time we’ll get it right, we’ll be together when the sun goes down at twilight”
Twilight, Dexter Freebish
With the sun past the horizon we drove to our camp for the night. Upon our arrival we were greeted with traditional welcoming tea. The special tent for singing, dancing, and music (which was played by elders) was lively and full of spirit. The kids grabbed the ladies and we danced around the tent to traditional Bedouin tunes working up an appetite. Our dinner was delicious. I have no idea what I ate, but it was wonderful and very filling. I had tiny scoops of everything on my plate in hopes of experiencing it all!
After a full day and full stomachs we were exhausted. The Bedouins have black goat hair tents which we were going to stay in, but because it was so warm we moved our stuff outside and slept under the stars. I have seen lovely nights and bright stars in the sky, but nothing as wondrous as this. You could see all the constellations, lots of shooting stars, and no light or clouds at all. This may be another no-duh moment, but the moon did not come out until 4am. I can’t say I obsess about the time of the moon, but in North Carolina, if I remember correctly as it becomes dark the moon begins to appear. It was quite a site to see a dark sky full of stars and no moon until almost sunrise. The moon was visible at 5:15 when I woke up to a blazing sun beating down upon me.
Bedouin breakfast was excellent as well and prepared me well for my virgin camel ride. A week or so earlier Tristan and I had a lively conversation about camels and their habit of spitting. I shared that I was not eager to be spit upon, as most people would not be. He started laughing and said “I could just see you getting spit on by a camel and then you slapping it!” This is preposterous, but nonetheless funny. I hoped at getting the opportunity to make a mock video chronicling me pretending to slap the camel, but I was worried about being sued by PETA if they saw it on the internet.
So…I got to ride a camel, which was awesome. It was a short ride, but I imagine if it were longer it would be not so enjoyable. Camels are not the most graceful walkers and have no shocks, so it was a friction filled experience. A young village boy led the camel around as I rode. I asked him for the camel’s name, which he said it didn’t have one. The expression on the boy’s face was priceless, it was as if he wanted to say, “Dumb girl, why would I name my camel?” This prompted me to name him Archimedes. There was really no reasoning behind this name, but it seemed appropriate.
After our Bedouin adventure we took a taxi to Aquba, which is Jordan’s only seaport. Aquba lies on the Red Sea and is the only resort in Jordan. As we drove into town the brilliant blue of the water was breathtaking. Again, none of the pictures do justice to the blue, aquamarine, and turquoise colors of the water. The beauty was juxtaposed with the taxi drivers’ offer to take us to 4 countries in 30 minutes. How is this possible you might ask? Think of the US Four Corners…Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel/Palestine, and Egypt are all close together on the Red Sea. Though I would have loved to “travel” to all of those countries the UNC Study Abroad Office asked that we not leave Jordan during the duration of the program. I attempting to be integritis (one who is full of integrity-a quasi made up word) declined the taxi drivers’ offer.
Instead of quickly gallivanting across borders, we went on a wild goose chase for a Turkish hammam (bath or bathroom) to see if some group members could visit the spa. Ultimately, we headed to a beach area to spend a leisurely day. I wanted to go scuba diving, but decided that snorkeling would be the budget-friendly alternative. A guide took us out to the coral reefs. I was expecting to see the reefs far below the surface, but they were in fact not deep at all. The salinity of the water helped maintain buoyancy, but large waves from huge cargo ships thrashed us into the reefs. Our guide found sand dollars, lionfish, sea anemones and other wonders of the sea. He had a small stick to prompt the coral to react. It was as if I were participating in an interactive Discovery Channel show. All the wonders of the sea they show were there! Even seahorses-which don’t look like much, especially when mating-and Clown fish like Nemo! It was well worth the long trip from Amman to see the Red Sea.
On a cultural level, many of the women at the beach were covered in hijabs and long pants, not just any pants-jeans. Some of you may know my worst nightmare is wet jeans and wet socks. I couldn’t imagine swimming in jeans-ugh. Anything but jeans! As a group of mostly white Americans we got a lot of stares, some curious, others more predatory or sexual. This is the one area that my lack of Arabic is useful. .. when rude or sexual comments are made I easily can ignore them, because I have no idea what is being said. What a defense strategy! The other notable cultural event on the beach was the fact that people brought stoves or cook tops to make Arabic or Turkish coffee on the beach. It was so hot I couldn’t imagine drinking hot steamy bitter coffee on the warm sunny beach…but who am I to judge J
Last Sunday we had an official tour of campus. On the first day of summer classes the campus was dramatically different from the day before. Everywhere you looked there were students congregating. Only 40% of students from the academic year attend summer school classes, which makes me curious about how crowded campus is during the rest of the year. [Warning student affairs-y moment] I was really surprised at how comfortable I felt on campus, despite the fact that I was the odd one and received a lot of curious gazes. The campus of University of Jordan is no different than a university in the States.
Additionally, there are a lot of women on campus. I didn’t really think much about it, but most of the men go to private universities or attend abroad. As one could probably assume, two-thirds of the women wear hijabs. But to my surprise, they are extremely fashionable and have fabulous colors and patterns. It is really funny how I wear long pants and shirts that come to my elbows and I feel so exposed. I’ve never really been in a situation where everyone is doing something and I feel as if I am the odd one. It is a new feeling, but that is part of the reason I came here. I wanted to experience something very different from what I am used to. I hope this will someday help me work with students who are coming to the US and feel out of place.
We began classes on Monday the 22nd. Each morning at 8am we have Arabic class. This class is supposed to be learning the Jordanian dialect (amia) rather than Modern Standard Arabic (fusshah). Many of the other students have taken a bit of Arabic, while 5 of us knew nothing. I am sad to say I still have learned nothing. Actually, I have learned random words, which have not proven to be any help to me. Our teacher doesn’t speak English, which is fine, but we don’t have any system to the words we learn. He also writes in Arabic script, but did not teach us the alphabet. The word frustrating comes to mind when I think about my Arabic class, but that would be an understatement. Each morning I prepare myself to feel like an idiot for an hour and a half each morning. I am now taking my Arabic skills into my own hands…Arabic for Dummies is my new afternoon companion.
The other course we are taking is Women and Leadership in the Arab World. The course topics are interesting, but not exactly what I was expecting. I was hoping to use my “leadership expertise” (haha) a bit more. Most of our conversations revolve around politics…We have very interesting readings, but I have read three 200+ page books in the last two weeks. Again, in my naiveté I expected to have more time to explore Jordan, but alas no. I spend a significant amount of time in class, then doing my homework, teaching myself Arabic…and if I have time eating falafel. For a bit I was a depressed about the academic situation.
To combat these frustrations I have jumped at every opportunity to experience Amman and Jordan. I was able to go to an unknown Palestinian art gallery and meet some interesting and fabulous global scholars. I took a lot of pictures during this venture and enjoyed being out of the University area and meeting new people. The valley between East and West Amman was gorgeous at night. As the sunset prayers echoed through the hills I could see the speckled green lights of the mosques throughout the city. I found this new experience was very calming and helped me realize what I really enjoyed about traveling-exploring.
Speaking of exploring…food is always an interesting way of exploring. I am a big Mediterranean/ Middle Eastern food fan and I eat a lot at home in the States. Ordering food is always an adventure-you never know what you are actually going to get. I ordered a chicken sandwich and wanted fries to go with my meal. I had seen the words pomme frittes at the grocery store, which is the European name for fries, and asked for those. The cashier was confused, so I asked for fries. Again, he had no idea what I was asking about so I asked what fries were called in Arabic…batata (which actually means potato). This the cashier understood and he responded with sandwich or bucket in English. I said sandwich and I received a batata sandwich- a lovely Panini style sandwich comprised of cheese and French fries. Sadly, I have to admit it was pretty tasty. The obscene amount of carbs I ingested promptly caused me to fall asleep.
Being in Jordan has helped me appreciate produce. Why is that, you may ask. Well, I never realized how much salad I eat until it is not available. The Middle Eastern idea of a salad is tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers covered in cheese and peppers. There is the occasional salad with a sprinkling of cabbage or lettuce. I was and continue to be gravely disappointed in the availability of vegetables. It is now laughable to think I was going to be a vegetarian for the summer-this is unheard of in Jordan. There are no vegetarian restaurants. One would expect the grocery store or market to offer more variety in greens and other vegetables-no such luck. I found some zucchinis, but very strangely they were hollowed out! I can only posit that these are to assist in preparation of some complex Arabian dish, but I was distraught nonetheless. Oh, what I wouldn’t do for a proper salad!
Part of our class work requires us to volunteer at a local NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) focused on women’s issues or empowerment. In the midst of my frustration this has been another unexpected source of comfort. I am working at the Jordan Forum for Business and Professional Women (because of the long name I will refer to it from now on as the Forum). This is a small office, of four employees, which supports women to create their own businesses. Women can apply to use office spaces called incubators for up to two years as they begin their endeavors. As well, the Forum offers training sessions to help supply women with the skills to succeed.
For the summer, Julia and I, will be creating a new expansion of their membership program-youth members (talented and creative college students). I am really excited about creating the benefits, programs, and recruitment/retention strategies for this new cohort. Jordan has few resources and I think the first cohort will revolve around aspiring future professionals who are interested in solving the countries issues of oil, water, and energy. This excited me as well because a country with 9 solid months of the sun pounding down upon them is ripe for the cultivation of solar energy….
The women of the Forum are so kind. Some don’t speak English it has inspired me to overcome this language barrier-despite our ineffective class. Dina, the membership manager, is 7 months older than me. She is going to give birth to a new baby boy any day now (with any luck on July 13th). She is so funny and talented. We have a lot of fun talking about how funny husbands are, and wonderful too! Everyone finds if interesting that I am here without Tristan. Women don’t travel without their family here, so I am a foreign wonder. I think even my classmates don’t understand it. It is a special part of our relationship, which I think only Tristan and I can understand. J
There is a really great Gomez song called See the World that says “see the world, find an old-fashioned girl, and when all’s been said and done, the things that are given are the things that you want”…
I can hardly believe I have been here for two weeks (of six). Time seems to be flying by for better and worse. I am really enjoying the country and becoming really comfortable, while being safe, gallivanting around the city.
I have not done a very good job of keeping up to date on my experiences, but I’ll try to catch up today. Upon my arrival, we searched out food and internet and quickly fell asleep, extremely tired, but excited about our upcoming adventures.
Saturday (June 21st) the entire group went to breakfast. Ironically, we went to the same falafel place I had been the time before. It has been an experience getting used to eating falafel and hummus for breakfast. After our filling, yet traditional Arabic breakfast we walked through the campus of University of Jordan. On a Saturday, the campus was empty, eerily empty.
Rula, the director of the Women’s Center here in Amman got a bus and took us “around town”. She gave us a whirlwind tour of the city, which is huge-1.8 million people. We drove through the posh areas, which have all the fast food comforts of home. They even have HARDEES! It has been interesting grappling with the fact that the American fast food chains are places for the middle and upper class to eat. As most of you know, I love food and especially ethnic food. I ask everyone I met what is their favorite restaurant and their favorite menu item. I ALWAYS get a response of Burger King, Fuddruckers, or Pizza Hut. I don’t particularly enjoy this answer. I am continuing to work on my…”wow, thanks for the suggestion” face, when I am crushed that I can’t find a good Jordanian restaurant. But, I digress…
The tour was nice to get out and see places, but for a while I had no idea how to get back. This is saying a lot seeing as I have an excellent sense of direction. (This may sound overly confident, but it has proven me well and therefore I have a healthy confidence about it!). The van drove us to downtown, where there were tiny stores and a large busy and crowded market. Rula is great. She is confident and outspoken. She reminds me of my sisters’ godmother, JJ. If JJ had an Arabic twin, it would be Rula. She is always laughing and shares her thoughts! Throughout our exploration of downtown she was giving us a “cultural orientation”. Many of her opinions about what to do and what not to do were shared with our group. The trouble is…most of the Jordanian people speak some, if not very good, English. So as she spoke about not eating food that had sat in the sun, which she said was disgusting, the unsuspecting store owner was crushed as she condemned his business literally in front of him.
This was best seen in front of a perfume store, to which she said “Don’t buy this junk, it’s probably all water anyway!”. HA! This continued on as she bargained her way around the market on behalf of the students. She also wanted us to see East Amman, which is the poverty stricken side of town. It was clearly visible the difference from the other parts of Amman. I did not take pictures of this area out of respect. It just felt very wrong to gawk at impoverished people, while doing nothing about it.
We returned to our residence-Al Amera Hotel Apartments. Yes, they are hotel-apartments. Everyone in Jordan asks, “Which one is it hotel or apartments?”…in fact according to the sign it is both! In reality, it is more of an extended stay hotel suite. My roommate, Carla, and I share a bedroom with two twin beds and a living room/kitchen, as well as our own private bath. Carla and I share an interesting similarity. She went to State for undergrad and UNC for graduate school, while I did the reverse. It has been fun to compare experiences and find that we know a lot of people in common.
Our professor taught me how to make Turkish coffee. We trekked down the street, which means on the side of the road, as there are no sidewalks, for a supposed 15 minute walk. This walk was really 30 minutes. Upon arrival at the roaster to get our Turkish coffee no one was going to buy anything. I decided to buy a small amount, but it was too small to buy so the roaster gave me 100 grams for free! We returned and I learned the very complex (note the sarcasm) process of making Turkish coffee. The best part of the experience was reading the grinds—Just like Harry Potter! I am actually quite skilled in the art of telling fortunes from the residue of grinds.
Well, that was a small update, but more to come later…as I have the day free to catch up on my surprisingly hectic life here in Jordan!
